RALLY NEWS NO1 LINE from Monaghan

RALLY NEWS NO.1 Monaghan..Sunday 11 am

Kenny McKinstry, with his daughter Emma on the notes in their Subaru, heads a powerful entry on this Monaghan Stage event. The format of the rally is deceptively simple, one familiarisation run and three competitive trips over a ten mile 'mountain'stage. Simple it won't be though. The stage is tough, the competition, the standard of drivers and cars, very high.
Kenny McKinstry is driving his GpA Impreza today, the same one he was using last weekend when he was runner up to Austin McHale at Limerick. Banbridge man Kenny was non-committal at signing on this morning - "Just out for the spin today" he joked - and if you beleive that, you'll beleive anything. Once Kenny puts the crash helmet on, it will be all stations go!
Niall Maguire is probably the local favourite, the transport man very much on his home patch, the mountain stage over territory that he has often used for testing. "Sure it will be a day out, a bit of craic" reports Ballinode man Niall. "There are some very good drivers out today, quick cars, sure as long as it all goes well, that's the main thing." Behind Niall is Peadar Hurson, his Celica straightened again after the Stonethrowers mishap. Peadar's car should be very quick if he can keep it all together.
Next up is David Armstrong in his Escort Cosworth, followed by Trevor Cathers in Willie John Dolan's 2 door Gp N Impreza. Armstrong's Escort has had an engine overhaul, which has transformed the car. Trevor's Impreza looks brilliant, but he feels the car is very low geared, hard to get used to. Behind Cathers is Tom Holton, still gathering momentum in his big Celica. At 8 is Patrick Elliot, the Cavan man a lot happier now that his Impreza gearbox
is sorted out - it woould seem that faulty sensors were sending erratic amounts of power to different wheels, making the car very difficult to drive. Barry Coleman was to be at 9, but he couldn't make it, so Donegal man Ivan Stewart rounds off the top ten.
No.1 slot has been left blank in respect of the late Bertie Fisher, Mark and Emma. The Monaghan multi stages here was Bertie's last rally, and of course Mark competed on that one as well.

Changes to co-driver include Danny O'Neill sitting with Philip Shaw in the black M2 at 12. Mickey McArdle's daughter Aoife is sitting in instead of Gerry McMonagle.

Further non-starters include Mick McQuaid, Eamonn Hughes and No.33 Andrew Stewart. Cars 61, 62 & 68 as well as several more are also absent. This means that many of the reserves will get a start, and there should be a full start entry of 130 cars. Re-sseds include - Aaron McHale who has 41 on the car is now running in the early thirties behind Martin Howley. John Rock has 87 and
is running in the early forties. More news later..BRIAN & LIZ
PATTERSON